Most importantly, on June 8, Cat Smith was re-elected as our MP in a resounding victory, demonstrating the confidence people have in her as our constituency MP. She has worked so hard for every part of the constituency since her election two years ago, and people recognise her worth. Cat was the most vulnerable member of the Shadow Cabinet, defending a majority of 1.265. Now her majority is 6.661 votes and she won 55% of the vote, representing a swing of 5.73% from Conservative to Labour. We all congratulate Cat on her magnificent result. We also thank the hundreds of volunteers who worked so hard in the campaign in many different ways.

Now we must be ready for the next step – a fresh General Election in which we must finally dislodge the wobbly, chaotic Conservative minority government, propped up by giving cash to a reactionary Northern Ireland party. We must work even harder to gain power to govern For The Many Not The Few.

So – while we can celebrate, there’s no time to relax: another election could be called any day! While it’s great not to be a marginal seat, we can expect less outside support, which will be needed elsewhere. So we’ll need to organise, campaign and raise funds even more vigorously than ever. But we’re ready for it!

At the last election, the Conservatives threw vast amounts of money into their campaign, buying up the front page of the Lancaster Guardian. Labour's campaign is very different - talking to people on their doorsteps about the issues that matter to our community.